A career in healthcare can be incredibly rewarding. Studying to improve your skills is a big investment in your future, so how do you make sure you pick the right path for you?

Here are 7 reasons why osteopathy should be top of your list.

Make a real difference to people. For the majority of people working in healthcare, their key motivation is their desire to help others. Osteopathic Therapists do this every day, working with their patients to aid recovery from injury, help them manage long-term conditions, and to improve their overall wellbeing and quality of life. Osteopathic therapists look at the whole body, they treat not just the symptoms but the cause.
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Specialise in exciting areas. While lots of osteopathic Therapists work with a wide variety of patients, some choose to specialise. Specialists may focus on work with young patients, professional sports people, and patients with specific chronic conditions or even animals. Your career can evolve with time and change direction with your interests.

Have time to care. Osteopathic Therapists are fortunate to have the luxury of time with their patients. Most will see patients one-to-one, with standard appointments lasting around 90 minutes. And as most patients self-refer, patients can access osteopathic therapy as, when and for as long as it is beneficial to them.

Treat patients as individuals. Key to osteopathic therapy is the importance of treating the patient as an individual and not just the injury or condition. Osteopathic therapists spend time getting to know their patients so that they can understand their unique set of circumstances and other factors which may be playing a part in their conditions. Osteopathic therapists then use this knowledge to deliver a specific treatment plan in partnership with the patient.

Enjoy career freedom. The majority of osteopathic therapists are self-employed, offering the ultimate freedom to dictate their own hours and to shape their career around other commitments and interests. Whether you’re employed by a practice or you are your own boss, as an osteopathic therapist you can create a pattern of working to suit you, and you’ll never have to be ‘on call’ or do long shifts (unless you really want to).

Travel the world. The designation awarded by CIOT and EOM is recognised worldwide. If you want to travel and broaden your horizons still further the CIOT program enables employment in other countries (subject to work visa requirements)

According to Massage Therapy Canada most massage therapists do not stay in employment for more than five years. Not only is there the physical demands of the work, with the risks of physical overuse syndrome but there is also the associated risks of emotional and mental “burnout”. Osteopathic Manual Therapy is much easier on the therapist’s body, and the mind.

WHY THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE OF OSTEOPATHIC THERAPY?

The program offered by the institute is the same as is taught in over 70 branches of EOM in over 30 countries and has been established for 29 years.

The tutors of the program are all osteopaths who have undergone rigorous training to teach. They not only can practice osteopathy, but they have been taught how to best pass on that knowledge

The program is already recognised by Osteopathic Associations which in turn are approved by Canadian insurance companies.

WHY NOW?

Osteopathic therapy is currently an unregulated profession within Canada. However, for the last two years the Quebec government has been investigating the best way to have this changed. Regulation will mean stricter controls over who can be accredited, and who the insurance companies approve. The days of the short, online courses offering a dubious education in osteopathy are numbered.

Increasingly insurance companies are reassessing the validity of many of the courses being offered by unproven schools of osteopathy in Canada. Thanks to efforts by the Canadian Federation of Osteopaths and the better provincial organisations they are understanding and accepting that osteopathy needs to be properly taught, by properly trained and qualified teachers.

The tightening up of the scrutiny given by insurance companies will mean that many students who have taken the less professional and less established courses will find themselves unapproved, with the consequent adverse effect on their income. Take away insurance company recognition and you take away most, if not all, of an osteopathic therapist’s income.

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About

The Canadian Institute of Osteopathic Therapy offers Osteopathic training for health professionals with a 4-year related Health Degree, such as physiotherapists, kinesiologists, etc. CIOT also offers a pre-course evaluation and examination to registered massage therapists with 2200hrs or more.